Lievremont’s luck will run out

THE smiles may not have been evident on the Irish players as they trooped off the Stade de France pitch but they were far more prevalent among the Irish supporters who chose to travel to the French capital. While the players have every reason to feel disappointed, aspects of the performance will have countered some of the negativity that has surrounded the team in recent times.

In the confines of the team room on the eve of the match, Ronan O’Gara demanded honesty from all players on the field in an effort to regain the respect that this squad has enjoyed for a long time.

To be fair to the players, whatever they have lacked since the season began in September; their poor run of form could not be attributed to a lack of effort. In fact when things start to go wrong, the first reaction is to work harder on the training field which isn’t always the best solution.